The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-10-01
Literary cranks, Library Journal.

Satu 5n attelRiaht oi the boston public library to Hetuid reporter "From morning antil night, no mat ter at what time you may call, you can always find from one to dozen cccentrics in these reading rooms l Whenever man loses the balance oi his reason, he turns his attention to literature. A few years ago . man then we'll known in Boston, los, nearly all of a once large fortune. lll short time his mind became atlecte 1 Up to the time of his losing his mind he had been anything but literary character; in fact. while sane he rarely read a book but as soon as his intellect became unhinged, otr he trudged to the library He came here steadily every day for three years. He was always tho first to ar rive in the morning. You could gcn. cially sec him standing outside, waiting for the janitor Ia open the door; and he was invaribly the last person to leave at night; and during all this time he was never known ia ask for or to rcad but one book-t the "Encyolops.dia Brittanica, Every morning at nine up walked our crank to the office desk, got down his en- i cyclopTdia. and then, with proud, knowing expression, he would march over to the tarthest corner of the room, where he would steadily sit without once moving his chair, ar even changing his position, until six o'clock al night, when. after we had rung the leaving bell" at least thIVp times and every one but himself had Jeff the room, he would slowly and rcgrcttuliy creep up to the desk. There. with sigh ot intense grioi. he would deposit his encyclopaedia, and then walk out ot the room looking like Il man who had parted forever from his best friend
 "Anothcr we used to call the coilec and cakc crank. He was u man al medium age and he lIad mania for reading books a;,out children. though he was himself childless man, and had never. l believe, been married Still, he would come here every day. He was always one of the very first ;o arrive, and he was never known to read aII1 thing that did not tell some thing about bringing up children. We called him coffee and cake crank be- cause, regularly as the clock struck each honr, lac would walk up the desk and ask one ot the attendants to keep his book for him while he went out and got some coffee and cakes as- sure you he dia this every hour. lie came to lhc library at nine. and at ten eleven. and al each succeeding hour until six, when our library closes. ho would %o out and get hi- coffee anl cakes. have often thought what a marvelou, digestion that mnh must have had. If all the books he had read about bringing mp children did not teach him that it was wrong to eat coffee and cakes every hour of the day, there Is very little to be learned from books.
 ''Be-idc> these two crank, we had another tir who was almost as bad whom we used to cali Heavenly Ar cana He was a regular visitor to the library every day for five vcnr-. and, -p far as we know, during all oi that time he never read any thing but >wedrnborg's 'ileavcnl, Arram. He used the book SO necessarily that he finally wore the binding oil. and, IT. We always do in such eases, we seni the books around To have new bind ings put on. AS well as 1 now Ircol. lcct our crank hnd turned his iIeay- enly Arana' in on a Saturday night. and Whcn he came around Monday morning and found that we had scni the book to the binders To be repaired, he wa, furious. He threatened 10 re- port Us to the mayor, and he came really very near having fight with the librarian. But, fortunately, the binder, approaching probably whom the! had to work for. were very ex- pcditious, and on Tuesday morning our friend wa. enabled l0 once more puitN his | Ilpaypula < r.ut,a +r